People in general have welcomed the decision of ban on polybags and
the city dwellers have started their shopping with jute bags as they did decades
back. It has been witnessed in markets, shopping centres and also at kitchen
markets in the city that the sellers have given farewell to the environment
hostile polybags.

It has been generally observed that less attention was given to the
increasing environmental pollution and proper disposal as well as utilisation of
solid wastes across the country, particularly in the capital city of Dhaka, by
the government, Ministry of Environment, Departments of Environment,
Agriculture, Health, Municipalities and other allied agencies.

Bangladesh is apparently now in the grip of all sorts of pollution, like air
pollution, soil pollution, water pollution and what not. Dwellers of capital
Dhaka are the worst sufferers. The indiscriminate industralisa-tion process in
Bangladesh over the past decades has created significant environmental problems.
Among the most significant is the enormous volume of solid waste, which is being
produced everyday but not to be disposed of properly.

The mismanagement in the disposal of the solid wastes, particularly the
polythene shopping bag has caused serious threat to the soil, public health,
drainage and sewerage system in the capital city. The drainage system in the
city is about to be collapsed. About five to six feet layers of polybag have
developed at places at the bottom of the river Buriganga. Although other big
cities in Bangladesh have also started facing the problem from polythene, but
the situation in Dhaka has gone beyond control. As a non-biodegradable
environment hazard, it has already wreaked havoc in public sanitation, not to
speak of the irreparable damage its further use could inevitably bring to our
life system.

According to experts, polythene is a thermoplastic material which when heated
gets softened due to weakening of intermolecular forces and melts. On cooling it
solidifies again. Polythene, particularly the black polythene contains
carcinogenic substance. Polythene is polymers of ethylene compound existing in a
covalent bond, which is not easily oxidized. Polythene is made with presence of
benzyl peroxide an organic solution, for example benzene liquid, butane or
propane. Usually polythene is manufactured by gas phase polymerization. The
manufacturing process of polythene does not yield complete polymerization but
create different kinds of monomeric vinyl chlorides. Heavy concentration of
these substances is highly toxic and may even cause cancer. Toxic substances
with food materials when come in direct contact with polythene (bread, biscuit,
chips in polythene cover and most of the brightly coloured polythene contains
such agents as lead and cadmium) they become contaminated. The contaminated food
staff when ingested causes toxic effects on health.

It was only in mid 1982 when polythene bag came to Bangladesh it drove out
all other shopping bags from the market on its own merit. Production of polybag
started in 1983 and since then its use and production increased manifold.
Polybags are used extensively because of their low cost and practical nature.

According to a study of the Ministry of Environment, there are around 800
polythene factories in the country and most of them are situated in the capital.
In 1983, there were only two polythene bag factories, but this number just
increased to 800. These factories produce about 129 million polybags per day.
According to survey of an NGO, some 315 to 320 factories are engaged in
manufacturing thin shopping bags and on an average eight to 12 workers are
employed in each factory. Between 2,520 and 3,840 workers are engaged in these
factories.

However, the manufacturers claim that the number of such plastic factories is
about 1,500 and around 1,30,000 workers are employed in these factories. But the
survey reports of government and NGOs termed the manufacturers' claim as
completely untrue. Sources said production of polythene bags is highly
profitable and the investment for setting up a factory is very low. Preliminary
investment in a polybag factory is only about Tk two lakh. The production cost
of each thin polybag is about Tk 0.05 to Tk 007 while the manufacturers sell
these to wholesalers for Tk 0.30 to Tk 0.35 each.

The Ministry of Environment survey report shows that about 10 million
polythene bags are used and nine million dumped everyday in Dhaka city. On
average, a family in Dhaka throws out four polybags everyday. And out of that
only 10 percent are put into designated spots, however, lack of adequate
facility is also responsible for the menace.

The bags are typically thrown in the street or into drainage facilities.
Since the bags do not degrade as paper bags do, these very frequently end up
clogging drains and sewerage system, which in turn creates significant negative
health effects, water logging etc. Even when the polythene bags are recycled,
this creates harmful hydrogen cyanide gas which contributes to respiratory
problems.

Land filling is still most prevalent way of treating waste in Bangladesh,
notably in Dhaka. Irrespective of physical and chemical compositions of solid
wastes all types of solid wastes are dumped together. The present crude way of
land filling carried out by the Dhaka City Corporation is definitely
unscientific. It has got direct effect on soil, air and water as physical
environment and also on flora and fauna, agriculture, human settlement, public
health as biological and human environment.

The Ministry of Environment, NGOs, environmental journalists, civil society
and others have long been campaigning against the adverse effects of polybags.
The Forum of Environmental Journalists of Bangladesh (FEJB) played a pioneer
role in launching campaign against polybag and its members succeeded to create
awareness among the policymakers, politicians and people in general about the
threat to soil, public health, drainage and sewerage system.

To free the country from the curse of polythene shopping bags, previous BNP
government in 1994 had taken a bold step and finalised decision to ban use,
production and marketing of polybags. But the move finally failed because of
pressure from both inside and outside the government. The erstwhile Awami League
government had also taken a move to ban the polybags, but it also failed. At
long last, the ban on polybags seemed firmly on course after the Cabinet in its
December 23 meeting okayed the Environment Ministry proposal to prohibit use and
marketing of thin polythene bags in Dhaka city from January 1, 2002.

Although there were some supporters of polybags in the cabinet, but finally
all members supported the move overwhelmingly. This government decision is
considered as the best New Year gift for the countrymen. It is the 20 micron
wafer-thin variety that came under the ban orders. The Ministry of Environment
has also declared to impose ban on use and marketing of polybags across the
country from March 1 and soon make necessary law in the upcoming parliament
session to stop its production. Credit goes to Environment Minister Shahjahan
Siraj, Secretary Sabihuddin Ahmed and few other officials of the Ministry for
their courageous role.

Official sources said Prime Minister Khaleda Zia is very much concerned about
the state of environment in the country and ordered the Environment Ministry to
go ahead with effective steps to eliminate the causes of environmental
pollution. They said the next course of action of the government is to free the
capital of air pollution and it would launch drive against emission of black
smoke by motor vehicles.

As alternative of polybags, the government has already instructed the
Ministry of Jute and Textile to go for massive production of shopping bags.
Besides, the government has urged upon the private sector to produce other
alternatives of polybags. People in general have welcomed the decision of ban on
polybags and the city dwellers have started their shopping with jute bags as
they did decades back. It has been witnessed in markets, shopping centres and
also at kitchen markets in the city that the sellers have given farewell to the
environment hostile polybags. A large number of jute mills, which were closed
for years, may now start production of jute shopping bags in full swing. A large
number of poor people in the city have also started making paper containers (thonga)
and supplying that to the markets and shops. It is hoped that the environment
friendly substitutes of polybags would soon remove the temporary suffering being
felt during shopping at the kitchen markets.

Rezaul Karim is a senior reporter of The Daily Star and member of Forum of
Environmental Journalists of Bangladesh (FEJB).